Monday, May 12, 2008

Supergirl Interview & Princess at Midnight

Sarah broke out the happy dance when I told her that Little Gloomy and Super Scary Monster Show super team Landry Walker and Eric Jones were going to do a new Supergirl comic. Sarah has always loved Supergirl, but has had a hard time finding reading material featuring her favorite superheroine: “I read a couple issues of Justice League Unlimited that she was in. She’s the girl Superman, and she’s just as good, so why don’t they make more books about her?” When I showed her the character design, she felt like DC must be doing this just for her! So, naturally, she had questions for the writer, Landry Walker. And, yes, Sarah really did make up all the questions herself.

Sarah: Is she gonna have normal girl problems, like friends and stuff, or is she gonna be just fighting crime and villains and stuff?

Landry Walker: Mostly normal problems, but normal problems as seen through the eyes of someone with a new set of super powers. Not so much crime, but she will also have an enemy or two.

Sarah: Where's her school, on Earth or somewhere else in the universe -- 'cause it's called 'Cosmic Adventures.'"

Landry: Earth. But there will be a bit of 'cosmic' in the book, too. And of course for Supergirl, Earth is a strange and distant alien world.

Sarah: Will it be one big story or will it be six different stories?

Landry: Kinda both. If we do our jobs right, each issue should be able to be enjoyed independently. However, there is a progression from issue to issue.

Sarah: Will it look like Little Gloomy -- will she have a big, cute head and a little body?

Landry: When we had our first meeting with DC, Eric produced three different drawings of Supergirl. One in a similar style to the Little Gloomy and Kid Gravity material, one as a more adult version, and one that is basically what we're using: the somewhere in-between style, more akin to traditional western animation.

Sarah: Will there be new characters that aren't in the other Supergirl and Superman comics?

Landry: One of the nice things about doing a DC book in the Johnny DC line is that we're not beholden to continuity, so we have the option of having familiar characters appear in unfamiliar ways.

Sarah: Will Carl be in it? He could be a dorky kid at her school that likes bunnies or something. (Note: Carl is a character from Little Gloomy. He’s a cthulhu and he likes bunnies and cookies.)

Tracy: I have to admit up front to an Andi Watson bias – I love pretty much everything he does. Part of it is probably because I have been an Anglophile since childhood and Watson’s work makes me feel all British inside. I’m so hooked on Glister that I keep both volumes on my nightstand and re-read them nightly. So, of course, I love Princess at Midnight. If I look at the book objectively, take off the Andi Watson-colored glasses, I have to say, it’s still fabulous, and the girls think so, too. I actually tried to discourage them from reviewing this because we reviewed Glister fairly recently, but they liked it so much they insisted.

Shelby: Holly and Henry are twins. They were born early so they were immediately hooked up to oxygen tanks and that is why their dad home schools them – he’s overprotective because of that. Holly’s always bored; Henry is competitive. When Holly goes to bed every night she wakes up as the princess of Castle Waxing. She decides to go on a picnic, but the Horrible Horde are there so she declares war. When the cockatrice crows at Castle Waxing it’s time for the princess to go to bed, and then Holly wakes up at home and begins her boring day at home school with her dad. I liked the art because it’s cute and it’s simple but it’s shaded in a kind of odd way, but it works. It looks a bit three-dimensional and two-dimensional at the same time. I like the way that Holly’s dad is talking but you can’t exactly read what he’s saying because the speech bubble isn’t big enough to fit all the words. It kind of tells you that Holly isn’t listening to him. I like the story because it’s original and it’s funny at times and it’s kinda weird at other times. I think everyone would like it because there’s entertainment for all ages.

Sarah: I liked the pictures and the story ‘cause it was very interesting. I like the pictures ‘cause they weren’t exactly perfect – it looks kind of rough, like a dream would be. It’s really cool. I liked the story ‘cause she had many different types of emotions; at one point she was calm and happy, sometimes she was angry, sometimes she was kind of sad, sometimes she was frightened and stuff like that. The characters that are in her world are really funny. I think probably everybody, even boys, would like this book. The girls would like it because it’s about girl power and stuff and it’s a good story. Adults would like it ‘cause it’s a good story. And boys would like it because of the surprise ending.

Tracy: A twist on traditional children’s fairy tales, Princess at Midnight is almost like something I remember from my childhood, only better. I would so love to be the Princess of Castle Waxing and give the Horrible Horde a good drubbing. Who wouldn’t? I can empathize with the overprotective parents’ fear of sending their fragile little ones into the big, bad world, while at the same time feeling Holly’s frustration at being smothered by her parents and annoyed by her little brother and needing an outlet, even if it’s in her dreams. Kids will enjoy the sauciness and strength of twins Holly and Henry, while adults can tarry awhile in a world that evokes the best kind of childhood.

The war against the Horrible Horde is mostly fought with mud and rocks that never hit anyone, so violence isn’t a problem – though Henry does take a nice soccer ball to the face. The final showdown against the most horrible of the horde involves much displaying of weapons (The Flail of Wailing and the Breadknife of Strife being my favorites), but no actual wielding of said weapons. Watson’s dialogue will certainly stretch most readers’ vocabularies – praetorian, cacophony, annihilative, and baneful all appear on the same page – so some adult assistance with the text may be required. I’d say Princess at Midnight is a must-read for anyone who likes good stories, be they kindergartner or college student, mom or dad, Princess of Midnight or Rendslaughter Sinewsplitter the Third.

Kid-Friendly Comics News and Notes

Owly Lesson PlansAndy Runton and his mom, Patty, have written a great set of Owly lesson plans. If you’ve at all wondered, “How can I use comics in my classroom?” this is a great resource to get you started! At first glance the lessons seem to be for younger students, but as I read through them I could see that almost every lesson could be quickly adapted for use with many different grade levels, from Kindergarten to high school. The booklet includes some wonderful illustrations and student work pages drawn by Andy. And it’s all FREE! Download this great teaching guide here.

Riverside ReadsScott Tingley of Comics in the Classroom has a new project:What happens when you take a classroom full of comic loving kids, give them access to a web designer, art supplies, a giant stack of comics and a government grant? You get Riverside Reads, the newest comic book website, created almost entirely by kids, for kids."My students have just launched a web-publishing site for their comics, stories and reviews and I couldn't be more excited!" states Comics in the Classroom EiC Scott Tingley. "The purpose of the site is to get kids excited about school work in general and the whole process of writing specifically." The site will feature brand new, original comics created by Tingley's third grade class. Each kid will have the chance to contribute original comics, original artwork, reviews of existing comics and stories in various forms. This is a great example of innovative teaching using comics. Check out the site for the kids’ interview with Andy Runton of Owly and their Free Comic Book Day reviews. Congratulations to Scott and all the kids!